Nicholas Hannigan talked to 11 News in 2007 about a house fire he and his fellow English Consul Volunteer Fire Department firefighters had just fought. But now Hannigan, who was deputy chief of the firehouse, is facing federal charges after officials said he set a house in Halethorpe on fire that same year.

The house was at 3916 Myrtle Avenue. At the time of the fire, it was unoccupied and undergoing renovations, officials said. It's been a vacant lot since.

"He set the fire. He's the deputy chief, and the bottom line is, it could have killed us," said Marilyn Spencer, who lives next to the home that was set on fire. She and Reggie McNeill still live there.

"It burnt the side of our house. The Fire Department had to come in our house to make sure we were safe," Spencer said.

Court documents show Hannigan revealed his role in the fire during a failed polygraph exam for a Secret Service job he applied for in 2011. Documents show he admitted to breaking into the house and lighting a wheelbarrow of insulation on fire.

"Somebody set it on fire because of the way it went up. It burned so fast," he said.

Prosecutors said Hannigan came back to the Myrtle Avenue house to help fight the blaze. He ended up suffering from smoke inhalation at the scene, and another firefighter was hospitalized.

According to court documents, as part of his alleged confession to the Secret Service, Hannigan said he did it because setting fires was a rite of passage in the firehouse. He said a firefighter told him he "should have lit a fire by now to be like everyone else."

Branford Thomas, the Fire Department's chairman of the board, sent 11 News a statement regarding that, saying, "I can assure you that the only rite of passage in the English Consul Volunteer Fire Department is to become well-trained and provide the best possible fire suppression and EMS services to the citizens we serve. The alleged actions taken by the member charged were the sole responsibility of that member."

11 News went to Hannigan's home Wednesday evening to get a comment but were told to leave.

For more than two years after allegedly confessing to the Secret Service, Hannigan was an active member of the volunteer fire department. He was put on leave after his indictment.

Officials said Hannigan is trying to throw out the indictment based on what he claims are violations of his constitutional rights when he made those statements to the Secret Service.

AS IT WAS LAST NIGHT BUT IT COULD BE JUST AS COAL. WE WILL BREAK DOWN THE TEMPERATURES WHEN COME BACK IN THE FORECAST. A BALTIMORE COUNTY VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER UNDER FEDERAL INDICTMENT FOR BASICALLY DOING EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF HIS JOB. QUICK STORES LIGHTEST -- GEORGE LETTIS JOINS US LIVE. THERE USED TO BE A HOUSE ON THE SLOT UNTIL FEDERAL PROSECUTOR SAID DEPUTY CHIEF FIREFIGHTER TORCHED IT AS A RITE OF PASSAGE. THIS IS NICHOLAS HANNIGAN TALKING TO 11 NEWS BACK IN 2007 ABOUT A HOUSE FIRE HE AND HIS FELLOW FIREFIGHTERS HAD JUST FOUGHT. NOW HE IS FACING FEDERAL CHARGES FOR ALLEGEDLY SETTING A DIFFERENT HOUSE ON FIRE IN 2007. HE SET THE FIRE, AND HE IS THE DEPUTY CHIEF. THE BOTTOM LINE IS IT COULD'VE KILLED HAS. AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE, IT WAS UNOCCUPIED AND UNDERGOING RENOVATIONS. IT HAS BEEN A VACANT LOT SINCE. REGGIE MCNEAL LIVES IN THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR. IT BURNT THE SIDE OF OUR HOUSE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO COME IN OUR HOUSE TO MAKE SURE WE WERE SAFE. COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW HANNIGAN REVEALED HIS ROLE IN THE FIRE DURING A FAILED POLYGRAPH FOR A JOB HE APPLIED FOR. DOCUMENTS SHOW HE ADMITTED TO BREAKING INTO THE HOUSE AND LIGHTING A WHEELBARROW OF INSULATION ON FIRE. 1:00 IN THE MORNING WE HEARD THIS BIG, LOUD NOISE. NEIGHBORS HAD ARSON SUSPICIONS FROM THE START. SOMEBODY SET IT AFIRE. IT BURNED SO FAST. PROSECUTORS SAY HANNIGAN CAME BACK TO THE HOUSE TO HELP FIGHT THE FIRE. HE ENDED UP SUFFERING FROM SMOKE INHALATION AT THE SCENE. THE SECOND FIREFIGHTER WAS HOSPITALIZED. AS PART OF HIS ALLEGED CONFESSION, HE SAID HE DID IT BECAUSE SETTING FIRE WAS A RITE OF PASSAGE IN THE FIREHOUSE. HE SAID A FIREFIGHTER TOLD HIM HE SHOULD HAVE LIT A FIRE BY NOW TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. FIREHOUSE LEADERSHIP SENT US A STATEMENT. I CAN ASSURE YOU THE ONLY RITE OF PASSAGE IN THE VOLUNTEER FOR DEPARTMENT IS TO BECOME WELL-TRAINED AND PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE FIRE SUPPRESSION AND EMS SERVICES TO THE CITIZENS WE SERVE. THE ALLEGED ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE MEMBER CHARGED IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THAT MEMBER. WE WENT TO HANNIGAN'S HOME TO GET A COMMENT BUT WE WERE TOLD TO LEAVE. FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS AFTER MAKING THAT ALLEGED CONFESSION TO THE SECRET SERVICE, HE WAS PUT ON LEAVE AFTER HE WAS INDICTED THIS PAST FALL. NOW HE IS TRYING TO GET THE INDICTMENT PRONE OUT BECAUSE HE

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